


Faulty Goods

by connorssock



Series: Prompt Fills [13]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Choose Your Own Ending, Happy Ending, Heart Attacks, Heart Failre, Heart Transplant, Hospitalisation, M/M, Major character death - Freeform, Multi, Multiple Endings, Recovery, Sad Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-03-20 10:57:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18991276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/connorssock/pseuds/connorssock
Summary: Socks! Here’s one for you, mega angsts coming your way. Hank/Connor/Gavin/Nines Gavin gets diagnosed with a faulty heart and needs a transplant. Cue Nines, Connor and Hank having to watch him get worse and worse every day as they wait, praying for the impossible to happen, and having to come to terms with the fact that may might lose him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Skye_Willows](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skye_Willows/gifts).



> Please heed the tags! I will put up notes in the beginning of each chapter to highlight which ending you've picked but  
> HAPPY ENDING is Chapter 2  
> SAD ENDING is Chapter 3

It had crept up on them insidiously. At first they even joked about it, teased Gavin for the small things. The way he got breathless after sex, when they lay there in a post coital glow and he was panting.

“We’re just that good, eh?” Hank ribbed him as he sat on the edge of the bed, already back to his usual self.

Other things cropped up too. If anybody thought Hank had a love affair with coffee, then Gavin was practically married to the stuff. He complained about being tired all the time; that the other three were wearing him out. The caffeine didn’t help though, he got jittery, his hands shook from it but the fatigue never left him.

Nobody said much when he began to leave chasing suspects to Nines. Connor went to the gym with Gavin instead, pretending he too was there to get fit while Gavin worked on cardio. If anything though, it seemed to get worse. He couldn’t run as far or as fast as before. So they changed diets, tried to be more healthy.

“Fucking hell, I’m getting old,” Gavin wheezed as he climbed the stairs to a suspect’s apartment.

The jokes had long since stopped coming and quiet concern took its place. By the time they got to the third floor, Gavin was gasping for breath, he clutched the railing and waved Nines on.

“I’ll catch up in just a minute,” he coughed out, hands resting on his knees. It took him another eight minutes to get up the last two flights of stairs and Nines looked him over with concern.

Thankfully, the suspect was cooperative, answered their questions and even agreed to visit the station the following week for further questioning. It was a rarity and Nines was grateful for it, he didn’t think Gavin would have wanted to go chasing someone down stairs and through the streets.

Back home, Gavin sighed as he sank into Hank’s couch. He wriggled his toes and circled his feet with a frown.

“Aging sucks,” he proclaimed.

“What are you being so dramatic about this time?” Hank nudged Gavin’s feet away as he sat down next to him.

“What age did you start getting swollen ankles and feet?”

Hank frowned at Gavin and scratched his beard, “I didn’t?”

“Oh.” Gavin stopped his fidgeting and craned his neck to look at Hank. “I assumed it was something that happened to everyone?”

They never really spoke much about aging, even though they all knew that at some point the little bubble of happiness they built around them was going to burst - either one of them dying in the line of duty or through Hank and Gavin aging. It was an unspoken rule that they enjoyed what they had together and didn’t worry about the future until necessary.

“Maybe don’t sit at your desk for so long?” Hank suggested with a shrug. “Get up, have a wonder around. Heck, I’ve seen you put your feet up before, just do that more?”

As well as taking more frequent breaks, Gavin was gifted with some new socks by Nines. They were the kind that didn’t have elastic in them so if his ankles swelled, at least the socks didn’t dig in. It was nice that they cared so much about Gavin, Connor was usually the one to slip into bed early with him if he was exhausted while Nines kept Hank company.

The first time Gavin woke up gasping for breath in the middle of the night, they all put it down to a nightmare he couldn’t remember. When it happened again a few nights later it was a little harder to brush off, especially with the spluttering coughs. Coupled with the fact that more often than not when Gavin stood up he needed a few moments for blackspots to clear from his vision, it was a growing concern.

Breaking point came when after a morning briefing, Gavin got up from his seat and all but crashed back down, pale and a hand over his chest. Instantly, Nines was crouched next to him, his eyes filled with concern.

“I’m okay,” Gavin was gasping, bent over and panting. “It’ll pass in a moment.”

“It’s happened before.” The words were a statement from Nines and he looked over to where Hank and Connor were hovering. Unprompted, Hank crouched down next to Nines and waited until Gavin blinked a few times to clear his vision and looked at him.

“I want you to go get checked out, you’ve been a little off the last few months.”

“It’s probably anxiety, had that in the past,” Gavin shrugged and took a deep breath. “See? All better.”

It wasn’t better though. By the afternoon, Gavin had darker than usual bags under his eyes, he’d skipped lunch and was grumbling away. At no point did he make any effort to get up though.

“Gavin,” Nines nudged him from his side of the desk, “I am not a medical android so cannot make a full assessment. But I really concur with Hank, please may I accompany you to the hospital to get looked over by a professional after work?”

Looking over to Hank and Connor, Gavin had to roll his eyes when he saw Connor looking at him imploringly. With a huff he bit out a sharp “fine” and set about trying to look busy so he could shut down any further conversation. That was how he missed Nines and Connor’s LED flash in sync for a moment before Connor said something to Hank.

At the hospital, Nines waited with Gavin to be seen as promised. Hank and Connor had gone back home to Sumo but dropped them both messages to keep them entertained. Not being an emergency, it took a few hours until Gavin was called in. After taking history, the doctor gave him a look.

“I’d like to send you for some blood tests, a chest x-ray and a few other tests,” she smiled reassuringly at him.

“Sounds like a lot for a bit of anxiety,” the half joke rolled off Gavin’s tongue and he watched as the doctor didn’t even crack a smile.

“I want to rule a few things about before we brush it off as that.”

Gavin wanted to press and wheedle, mock his way out of the situation if need be. Instead, Nines beat him to it by asking, “What are you trying to rule out.”

“Right now, your symptom sound more like class 3 heart failure. While we rule that out, I want you to think about your diet, exercise regime and sleep schedule. I would hope that you’re right and it is “just” anxiety. But I’d rather have you looked over than miss something.”

Gavin stared at her, not comprehending. He understood each word perfectly but couldn’t fathom how they related to him. He wasn’t yet 40, there was no way his heart was giving out on him already. Uncertainly, he let out a laugh.

“That’s…you, uh, you really need to work on your sense of humour.”

The doctor looked over to him from Nines, “I do wish my sense of humour was the issue here.”

They left the consultation room with a bunch of leaflets and advice until the tests came back. Gavin walked slightly ahead of Nines, got in the passenger side of the car and waited for Nines to get in. Thankfully the self-driving model did its job as soon their seatbelts were on and started getting them home, even as nobody spoke.

About half way there, Nines opened his mouth, “Do you want me to let Hank and Connor know?”

“Please.” Gavin didn’t look at Nines, in fact, he was busy staring out the side window, turned as far away from Nines as possible. His reflection in the glass however, gave away his rapid blinks and watery eyes. After a moment, Nines slipped his hand across the consoles and reached for Gavin’s hand.

“They know.” He squeezed his hand. “And they say they can’t wait to have you home. That they love you very much.” After a beat he added, “As do I.”

A sniffle was all he got in reply but at least Gavin squeezed his hand a little. There was nothing more to say, nothing was certain until the test results came back and until then they could only guess and hope.

The car pulled up outside the house and Gavin let go of Nines’ hand to get out. As soon as they got to the door, it opened and Hank was stepping out, pulling Gavin into a hug, tucking him against his chest. Behind them, Connor looked up at Nines, sorrow written all over his face. The tears Gavin had been valiantly holding back came rushing out and he clutched at Hank’s shirt, not caring that they were in the front garden. The great, gulping heaves left his short of breath which only made him cry harder. Ever so gently, Hank guided him inside and they sat on the couch until the sobs gradually quietened.

“I’m so sorry,” Gavin’s voice was hoarse and he stared at his hands.

“Not your fault,” the shrug Hank gave was far too nonchalant. “Shit happens. We’ll figure it out, work our way around it, fix it, you’ll be right as rain in no time.” He pressed a kiss to Gavin’s head, “If the brainboxes could figure out how to make something as complex as an android, a human heart should be child’s play.”

They went to bed early that evening, all of them piling into the bed with Gavin wedged in the middle. As the humans drifted off the sleep, Connor reached for Nines’ hand, hesitantly asking for a connection.

 _What’s on your mind?_ Nines asked, grateful he and Connor could talk without waking the other two.

 _Why didn’t I see this? The symptoms have been there for so long._ The anguish in Connor’s thoughts burned. It took Nines aback for a second as he tried to sort through not just the words but the unspoken parts of the communication too.

_You’re not a medical android, are you?_

_No, but I am one of the most advanced ones. I should have noticed._ While tone didn’t quite carry in their connection, Nines could hear Connor’s devastation all the same.

 _I’m more advanced than you. Do you blame me for not seeing it too?_ As far as questions went, it was harsh but Connor’s answer was instant.

 _No!_ The lie was easy enough to feel and Nines sent back a disbelieving little nudge. _Yes. I mean. No but maybe. We should have spotted it sooner Nines._

There was an element of truth in it which Nines couldn’t deny. Part of him was furious he’d not connected the dots. The symptoms were so simple, always with some kind of excuse to ignore them or attribute them to something else. Not once had it occurred to him that something else could be at play.

 _I know,_ he settled on saying, _and for what it’s worth, I’m sorry. But we aren’t built for diagnosis and medical issues beyond first aid. We cannot blame ourselves for it. And the damage is done, now we have to work hard at fixing it._

With nothing else to say, they allowed stasis to claim them but their connection stayed open, a source of comfort even when they weren’t fully aware of it.

The weeks that followed were quiet. There were various appointments and tests Gavin was sent for and at least one of the other always accompanied him. After the ECG and blood tests, Hank took him to a healthy drive through. They both munched on a salad before going to work. For the tilt test, Connor sat in the corner of the room, kept Gavin’s mind off the test and even got told off for making him laugh a little too much.

Throughout those weeks, Nines and Connor carefully monitored his symptoms, quietly kept Hank in the loop. Things were definitely getting worse, slowly but surely. There was less and less Gavin could do without having to pause and catch his breath or feeling faint. Not that he would ever admit it to anyone but now that they knew what to look for, it was obvious when he stood, with a hand on the corner of his desk for a moment too long, eyes not quite seeing.

When all the tests had been concluded, it was time for another consultation with the doctor. She smiled as they went it but it quickly fell away. Instinctively, Connor grabbed Gavin’s hand.

“I’m afraid I don’t have good news for you,” the doctor began, “it’s late stage class three heart failure. We can give you medication to try and manage the symptoms but unless we can get a transplant, I’m afraid there’s not much more we can do.”

“Now wait a minute,” Hank leaned forward, “what do you mean there’s not much more you can do?”

“It means that we don’t have a cure. We can only try and make things more comfortable and bearable.”

“How much longer have I got?” Gavin looked up at the doctor, resigned.

“Months. Maybe a year if you respond well to medication.”

Gavin rubbed at his face with both hands, covering his mouth as he took as shaky breath.

“Okay, okay,” he muttered.

Connor’s “it’s not okay” was ignored in favour of another deep breath. They talked about medication, lifestyle changes and anything else that would help Gavin. Nines made careful notes, Hank nodded along too. Connor’s LED was stuck on red and he reached for Gavin’s hand again, clutching at it.

Life changed after that. Gavin was pulled from active duty, put on a light desk job with shorter hours which were negotiable if needed. At home, Connor fretted over the smallest of things. He greeted Gavin each morning with a small peck but refused to engage in anything more. The worry of sex being too much for Gavin’s heart kept him at bay. Instead, he cooked meals from the suggested diet plan, made sure Gavin took all the medication and hovered like a worried mother hen each time Gavin so much as blinked funny.

Going to the gym became something Nines did with Gavin. Despite advice that it was for his benefit, Connor fretted too much, so it fell to Nines to go through the gentle exercises with Gavin. It was difficult to watch him begin to struggle more and more with them. Over time it became glaringly obvious that he wasn’t responding to the medication as well as hoped. Even after reviews, changes to dosages, new types of pills and more blood tests later, things weren’t looking better.

“I guess we need to talk about a funeral,” Gavin broke the silence one evening as they were finishing dinner. Behind him, a spatula clattered to the ground as Connor dropped it.

“We can still find a solution. I’ll find a specialist, someone new. We might even get a phone call about a transplant tomorrow,” Connor rambled but stopped as soon as Gavin put his hand up.

“I appreciate that you hope so much,” he nodded, “but let’s be realistic here. We need to plan for the most likely outcome. That in a few months,” his voice broke, “that in a few months, I’m not going to be here anymore.”

A glass slammed onto the counter as Connor turned and said, “I can’t do this, I’m sorry.”

Nines tried to rise from the table and follow him out the door but Hank’s hand stilled him.

“I’ve got this one,” he muttered and left. The door to the bedroom opened and closed again, silence engulfed the house.

“Fuck Nines,” Gavin was at an utter loss, “I didn’t think I’d have to do this so soon.”

They sat on the sofa, curled together as Gavin battled tears. Nines was close too but someone had to be strong. With Connor so affected by it, the role fell to Nines and Hank to support their partners. They would allow themselves time to grieve when everyone around them had their turn.

Ten minutes later, the bedroom door opened and a sheepish Connor appeared along with Hank whose eyes were red rimmed. They sat together late into the night, talking about funeral arrangements. Gavin was adamant that they take the cheapest options where possible. He didn’t want it to be a financial drain and suspected that not many people would want to go anyway. After a few hours, they migrated to the bed, Gavin once again in the middle, with Connor clinging to him and crying softly.

The next day, Connor took a day off. He didn’t mention where he was going and Hank didn’t want to question him. Everyone had a different way of coping with grief. If it became an issue, that was when he was going to intervene but no sooner. Connor let them know that he was going to be home late and that he was bringing a guest. It made Hank grumble as he got home with the other two. They were in no mood to play host and, after a short internal debate, he decided that he had better things to do than tidy up last minute.

Just before nine, the sounds of a key in the door filtered through and Sumo gave out a brief huff. None of them made much of an effort to get up and that was how Connor found them still tangled up on the sofa.

“I’ve brought a guest,” he said and stepped aside to reveal a familiar figure.

“I heard that someone was in the market for a new heart?” Elijah asked with a small smile. “Given a little time, I think I might just be able to help out.”

It was tentative hope he offered. Connor looked so proud of himself for finding a potential solution, he looked over at Gavin with a smile each time Elijah addressed him. There wasn’t going to be an instant fix but there were potential solutions. An hour later, Elijah saw himself out with the promise to be in touch.

Once a week at least, he checked in. Talked to Connor the most about the progress he was making with the design, how he might even have a prototype to show within three weeks. It all sounded wonderful and even Nines began to allow himself a little optimism.

He shouldn’t have let it happen. They were all scheduled for a weekend off when Elijah would show them his progress. The lull in vigilance didn’t mean they were less careful or caring. But the false sense of security had gotten Nines comfortable. Gavin had excused himself to the bathroom and pushed up from the sofa, nobody paid him much attention until he was crashing to his knees with a pained, breathless cry. A scan later, Nines was calling an ambulance.

They were allowed to see Gavin again a few hours later. The heart attack hadn’t been too major but bad enough. He was hooked up to monitors, an oxygen mask covered his face. Each breath seemed like a heaving struggle.

“Hey,” Nines said as he sat on the edge of the bed and stroked Gavin’s bare arm. At the foot of the bed, Hank had an arm around Connor’s shoulder.

The “hey” in reply sounded more like a rasp than words but Nines smiled all the same. It was obvious Gavin was flagging already, his blinks were slow and heavy but he struggled against it as he reached weakly for Hank and Connor.

“Sorry,” he managed to push out.

“I should have known the only time I’d hear you apologise is when you had a damned heart attack.” The words were harsh but Hank’s tone was so soft and fake chiding that even Connor had to huff out a laugh.

“You scared us.” He took Gavin’s hand in his, cupped it in both of his. “Don’t do this to us again, please.”

Gavin hummed in response sleepily, his eyes refused to open and his head tipped to the side as he fell asleep. If it weren’t for the machines beeping steadily around him, Connor could have easily mistaken him for dead.

“We’ll get you better, I promise,” he whispered and Nines, along with Hank, pretended not to hear it.

The next day they were allowed to take time off in recognition of the emotional strain. With first light, Connor was out the door, only leaving a message on the table for Nines and Hank to find a few hours later when they got out of bed.

By the time visiting hours rolled around, Connor was still unaccounted for. However, the other two decided not to wait for him and instead went to see Gavin. Not a lot had changed from the day before, perhaps he looked a little less exhausted but not any better.

Conversation was an uphill struggle, even something as small as saying a full sentence left Gavin sucking in breaths as though he’d run a marathon. They weren’t expecting Connor to all but bonce in with Elijah in tow.

“I hear our timeline for development has been shortened,” Elijah said by way of greeting. “I’ve had some assistance and have a potential prototype mocked up. But it would take me at least another week to finalise it then weeks to test it fully.”

“We don’t have that kind of time, I already explained,” Connor didn’t whine but there was a hint of it to his voice.

Nines and Hank looked at each other, then at Gavin. It was a hare brained idea, the prototype was barely finished. Before either of them could smack down the idea gently, Gavin shifted in the bed.

“The way I see it,” he carefully forced each word out, “without it I’m dead in a week. With it, I might still die anyway. I’ve got nothing left to lose.”

“Gavin,” Nines wanted to argue, didn’t want to entertain the idea of Gavin dying because of some experimental procedure. Yet he knew Gavin was right. They had a week, maybe two if they were lucky before his heart gave out anyway. Instead of saying anything, Nines ran a hand through Gavin’s hair gently. “I will support whatever decision you make.”

What followed were talks with consultants, Elijah and other specialists. There was no certain outcome and even between Nines and Connor they couldn’t work out probabilities. The only thing they had to clutch onto was each other and hope.

“We need to carry out this surgery before his systems weaken any further. How much longer before your component is ready?” One of the surgeons asked.

“Two more days,” Elijah promised. He was drawn and tired, obviously pushing himself to finish the heart replacement in time. Hank found himself slowly revaluating his impression of the guy.

Sure enough, two days later, Gavin was being wheeled away into the anaesthetist’s room in preparation for surgery. He gave the other three a weak, watery smile as they each leaned down to kiss him on the forehead.

“I’ll see you on the other side,” he murmured.


	2. Happy Ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the HAPPY ending.

Hours passed. Realistically, Hank knew that the earliest they would hear about whether the surgery was a success was in eight hours’ time and even then only if things went smoothly. They’d been encouraged to go home, reassured that someone would call them as soon as there was news of any kind. However, none of them wanted to leave. In the end, they huddled over a table in the cafeteria in silence. Hank had a steaming cup of coffee in front of him, untouched. Over the course of the hours it went cold but he didn’t really notice. On the turn of each hour, one of them made their way down to the theatres in the hopes of any kinds of news. The nurses at the station just shook their heads at them as they saw them approach.

At long last, over ten hours later, the surgeon approached them. She looked as exhausted as they felt but she had a small smile to her lips.

“He’s just waking up in recovery. It’s gone as well as one could hope. Now we just need to wait to see if Mr. Kamski’s design works.”

“When can we see him?” Connor looked desperate to launch himself from the chair and run to Gavin’s side.

“I would suggest only peering in from the doorway if you must. A heart transplant is no simple operation to bounce back from. For the next few days he’ll be in the intensive care unit. While visiting hours are a little more lax there, I would say no more than two visitors at a time and only for short periods.”

They nodded at her words and, after a few heartfelt ‘thank you’ and ‘good byes’ they made a beeline for the recovery. From the doorway they could see Gavin on a bed, surrounded by machines and wires. The need to get close to him and touch him was great, they had to all but hold onto each other to not rush to Gavin’s side. Instead, they took comfort in knowing that he was pain free and that they could visit the next day when he was properly awake.

The first few days were blurry. As much as they could, they sat with Gavin who slept a lot. Doctors and nurses came and went, muttering and taking notes. Throughout it all, Gavin smiled tiredly, even on days when he was obviously in pain and his breaths were less steady than they would have liked.

On the fifth day, Kamski came by with a small smile.

“How are you feeling?” he asked and ignored Connor and Hank in the chairs.

“Like I’ve had by ribcage sawed open, my heart ripped out and replaced by a mechanical part,” Gavin groused.

“Well, at least you’re here to bitch about it. All readings indicate that the prototype has taken and is working as intended. As soon as you’re healed up from the surgery, you can be back home.”

Nobody expected Connor to unfurl from his place next to Gavin an envelop Kamski in a crushing hug.

“Thank you.” There were tears of relief on his cheeks as he pulled away. Behind him, Nines stood and extended a hand, which Kamski shook with a smile and as soon as he let go, Hank was reaching for it too.

“I should be the one thanking you,” Kamski grinned, “after all, you were my test subject for a new patent that looks like it’s going to be a major change for medicine. A transplant without the need for immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of your life!”

He left shortly after that, content to leave the four of them huddled around the bed in a protective group around Gavin.

Over the course of the next two weeks, the tubes and machines slowly disappeared. Gavin was moved to a ward where he wasn’t under constant supervision. Four weeks after the operation he was allowed to make his way home.

Nines was the one to push his wheelchair down the corridors of the hospital while Connor walked next to Gavin. It left Hank in charge of carrying his bag and getting doors. Back home, they piled onto the bed which had felt far too empty when it had just been the three of them over the course of the month. The peripheral worry that they’d forgotten what it was like to have a fourth person in bed with them was forgotten the moment they pulled the covers over.

There were changes to be made though. Meals became healthier, they went for runs as a group every other evening. It had become a wakeup call, how easily they could lose each other. In the bedroom, Gavin was shy about taking his top off, the scar a stark reminder of everything. It didn’t take long though for the others to convince him that they loved him all the same. He was especially prone to believing them when Nines had laid his head on Gavin’s chest and smiled serenely.

“You sound just like Connor now,” he sighed then giggled when Gavin’s stomach let out a gurgle. “Well, a bit like him. You’re the bridge between us. Hank the human, Connor the android and you, the hybrid. You complete us.”

From Gavin’s other side, Hank pressed a kiss to Gavin’s shoulder and grumbled about it being too late into the night to get so sappy.

In the morning, Nines was more than happy to repeat himself and Connor joined in, laughing at the way Hank grumbled. However, none of them missed the way Hank’s feet tangled with Gavin’s under the table, a steady reassurance that he was still there with them despite everything that had happened.


	3. Sad Ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the SAD ending.  
> **MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH AHEAD**

Hours passed. Realistically, Hank knew that the earliest they would hear about whether the surgery was a success was in eight hours’ time and even then only if things went smoothly. They’d been encouraged to go home, reassured that someone would call them as soon as there was news of any kind. However, none of them wanted to leave. In the end, they huddled over a table in the cafeteria in silence. Hank had a steaming cup of coffee in front of him, untouched. Over the course of the hours it went cold but he didn’t really notice. On the turn of each hour, one of them made their way down to the theatres in the hopes of any kinds of news. The nurses at the station just shook their heads at them as they saw them approach.

At long last, over ten hours later, the surgeon approached them. She looked as exhausted as they felt but she had a small smile to her lips.

“He’s just waking up in recovery. It’s gone as well as one could hope. Now we just need to wait to see if Mr. Kamski’s design works.”

“When can we see him?” Connor looked desperate to launch himself from the chair and run to Gavin’s side.

“I would suggest only peering in from the doorway if you must. A heart transplant is no simple operation to bounce back from. For the next few days he’ll be in the intensive care unit. While visiting hours are a little more lax there, I would say no more than two visitors at a time and only for short periods.”

They nodded at her words and, after a few heartfelt ‘thank you’ and ‘good byes’ they made a beeline for the recovery. From the doorway they could see Gavin on a bed, surrounded by machines and wires. The need to get close to him and touch him was great, they had to all but hold onto each other to not rush to Gavin’s side. Instead, they took comfort in knowing that he was pain free and that they could visit the next day when he was properly awake.

The first few days after the surgery were blurry. As much as they could, they sat with Gavin who slept a lot. Doctors and nurses came and went, muttering and taking notes. Throughout it all, Gavin smiled tiredly, even when his breaths came short and laboured.

Even before a doctor pulled them into a side room, Hank had had his suspicions. The nurses had sad smiles around them, gentle voices which never rose for fear of breaking.

“There’s no easy way to say this, the transplant is failing.”

It was just as well that they were sitting already because Connor lurched forward, his head fell into his hands before he let out a determined “no!”

“I’m sorry. We tried. But the prototype isn’t being accepted by Gavin’s body. There’s nothing else we can do other than make him comfortable.” The doctor looked them each in the eye in turn.

“How much longer?” Nines’ voice was soft, almost too quiet even in the silence of the room. The answer wasn’t one Hank wanted to hear but he needed to know.

“A week at most.”

There were tissues on the table and they were nudged towards Hank by the doctor. He hadn’t even realised that tears had brimmed over and trickled down his cheek, too numb to notice anything much.

Nines took control, calm and collected while his partners quietly fell apart. “Does he know?”

“We told him this morning. You’ll be allowed to see him at any point during the day but because of regulations, we ask that there are no visitors between 11pm and 6am out of respect for our other patients.”

They were allowed to stay in the room for as long as they needed. Connor rushed out immediately, hurrying to Gavin’s side, desperate to find hope anywhere. It took Nines and Hank a little longer. They stood in the room, tissue clutched in his hand while Nines wrapped him in a hug. Holding each other up, they took solace in the other’s stoic presence. Both knew that they’d need to be strong for both Gavin and Connor.

“I’m sorry,” those were the first words out of Gavin’s mouth. He looked teary, even with Connor curled gently against his side, tubes and wires carefully moved out of the way.

“It’s not your fault,” Hank could feel his throat closing up. He had to be strong but he couldn’t stop the watery smile from wobbling. “It’s not like you decided that you were going to actively reject the prototype.”

The laugh choked off into a sob and Gavin buried his face into Connor’s hair, the quiet “fuck” still clearly audible. There was nothing that any of them could really say. They were out of options and out of time. All they could do was make the best of it.

That night, the three of them went home and piled into the bed. Nobody mentioned the space they’d left for Gavin without thought. Or that fact that they’d have to get used to him not being there because he wasn’t coming home to their shared bed again.

It was impossible to deny that Gavin was rapidly going downhill. The oxygen mask had become a permanent feature along with the sallow, waxy quality of his skin.

“I can’t tell you I love you,” Connor teased him, “because you can’t die until I’ve told you.”

It was how Connor said goodnight to Gavin each night. And every morning he used a different adjective to love. He adored Gavin, worshipped him, cherished him. And each time Gavin’s would run a weak hand over Connor’s arm and reply, “I love you too.”

He snagged Hank’s hand once, when Connor had gone with Nines to grab a coffee for Hank. There was desperation in his eyes.

“You’ll look after them, won’t you?”

“Of course,” Hank sniffed. He couldn’t hold it together for much longer. Each day was another weight around his neck, a clock counting down without a timer. Sometimes Hank dreaded that he’d be there when Gavin died. Other times he dreaded he wouldn’t be.

“They’ll take care of you too. Don’t let our family fall apart, please.” Tears trickled down Gavin’s cheeks and a monitor picked up its beeping, giving away the physical toll his emotion were having.

By the time Nines and Connor returned, it had settled again and Connor took up his spot curled up on the bed next to him like usual.

Despite the unusualness of their arrangement, Fowler had managed to wrangle time off for them all. It meant they could spend all day with Gavin, they arrived at 6am sharp and didn’t leave until just after 11pm when the nurses kicked them out.

Ten minutes before the alarm, Hank’s phone rang.

He fumbled it as he sat up, hunched over the side of the bed. Both Connor and Nines were hastily booting up from stasis and watched the way Hank’s shoulders dropped, curled in on himself as he listened. He put the phone down without so much as a ‘goodbye’ and turned to them, face lax. The tears came thick and fast a moment later, he pressed a hand against his mouth and both Connor and Nines were crowding against him, knowing what the call was about.

“We need to go in,” Hank hiccoughed.

The house was silent as they hurriedly shrugged into the nearest pieces of clothing they could find. It was odd, there shouldn’t have been the need to rush, there was nobody to hurry to the hospital for. Yet they were all out the door within ten minutes, hair barely brushed and still sleep rumpled. Nines drove them, parked up and they traipsed down the now familiar corridor one last time.

Out in the corridor, they came across Kamski, who stood by with his hands clasped in front of him.

“I’m sorry,” he offered them a hollow smile, “I failed.”

“What are you doing here?” Connor was all but vibrating with energy. “You couldn’t fix him! Why are you here?”

His voice rose and Hank tried to shush him.

“I came to get the prototype back. It’s still Kamski property.”

Nines only barely managed to hold back the swing Hank took at Kamski and steered them past the man with a hand each on Hank and Connor.

They stood in the doorway, uncertain. The bed was empty and though the sheets were still rumpled there was no residual heat of it being recently vacated.

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” the words were spoken from just behind them, the doctor looked at them each in turn. “Gavin had total heart failure just after five this morning. We couldn’t get to him in time and, as per the directive, we didn’t make an attempt to resuscitate him.”

A soft gasp went up from Connor and he reached instinctively for Nines, hand white.

_He died alone. With nobody around._

That was all he could think of. Memories flitted through their connection and Nines gritted his teeth. They were all instances of Connor dying, the memories of being frightened and hurting but even then he’d never been truly alone.

“I didn’t get a chance to tell him I loved him,” Connor’s voice broke, static sobs filled the early morning quiet. Nines kept their connection open and looked over at Hank through a blur of tears and pulled them both close. They held each other close, tried not to think of Gavin’s last moments, alone in a hospital room with nobody to hold his hand.

Eventually, they were going to have to start thinking about funerals, about clearing out wardrobes and toothbrushes and toiletries. But first, they held each other close, knowing they’d all promised Gavin to look after the other two. His last wish was for them to keep going as a family and they were going to fulfil it to the best of their abilities.

**Author's Note:**

> The usual blah of tumblr being connorssock and twitter vaderina1


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